This article disseminates the results of a qualitative, case-based study carried on in Danish schools in 2008-2011. Results show that learning outputs can be seen as more than academic achievement, and the arts' contribution to learning can be viewed as more than the ancillary support of academic performance. Learning within an artful mindset implies a broader view on school learning, for the key reason that art offers many optimal opportunities for formal, mediated, meaningful and material learning. The main empiric and theoretical issue explored in this article is the experience of positive emotions and cognitive intensity within the artistic activities in school projects and its consequences for individuals' learning, development and well-being.